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Northern Hemisphere Stationary Waves in a Changing Climate
Robert C J Wills1, Rachel H White2, Xavier J Levine2
11University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Current Climate Change Reports
|January 14, 2020
Summary
Climate change will alter Northern Hemisphere stationary waves, impacting regional weather. Key projected changes include shifts in wind patterns and circulation weakening, particularly in winter.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Science
- Climate Dynamics
- Meteorology
Background:
- Stationary waves are planetary-scale variations in atmospheric circulation.
- Understanding their response to climate change is crucial for predicting regional climate shifts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the projected response of Northern Hemisphere stationary waves to climate change.
- To identify robust changes and review underlying mechanisms for winter and summer seasons.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature.
- Analysis of climate model projections.
- Discussion of mechanistic theories.
Main Results:
- Climate models project altered wind patterns, affecting regional precipitation, temperature, and extreme events.
- Robust responses include increased winter zonal lengthscale, poleward shift of Pacific circulation, weakened monsoonal circulations, and overall weakening of stationary waves.
- Understanding of stationary wave links to regional climate has improved.
Conclusions:
- Mechanistic theories for stationary wave responses to climate change are still developing.
- Idealized studies are valuable for understanding specific circulation feature responses.
- Continued research using idealized studies is recommended.
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